


through a night so tender

by Murf1307



Category: X-Men: First Class (2011) - Fandom
Genre: Cuddling & Snuggling, Fix-It, M/M, Reunions, Winter
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-02-16
Updated: 2015-02-16
Packaged: 2018-03-13 05:51:42
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 655
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3370199
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Murf1307/pseuds/Murf1307
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Darwin comes back on January fifth, and finds Alex in the library of the Xavier mansion.</p>
            </blockquote>





	through a night so tender

**Author's Note:**

> written for a tumblr prompt.

_8 pm, January 15th, 1963.  The Xavier Mansion, Westchester, NY._  
  
Outside, the wind is howling, and snow is falling to muffle the sound.  It's shaping up to be a long, dark winter, and has ever since Moira left in mid-November.    
  
Alex curls up on a couch in the library, pretending to read.  He's really just thinking too much and avoiding everyone else.  Sean's better at this -- at bouncing back -- than he is; Sean's the best at helping the Prof with stuff, at being a _person_  in the aftermath of what they've just seen and done.  Alex isn't like that.  Alex still thinks about Erik -- _Magneto_ \-- and wants to burn him down.  Alex almost wants the world to end, just for that to happen.  
  
So he keeps to himself.    
  
He likes the library, and it's not like he's not learning anything.  Some of the science stuff is actually kind of interesting.  Physics, angles, that kind of thing.  
  
Tonight's a bad night, though.  He can feel it, so he can't concentrate and just lays on the couch in the library with a geology book over his face, pretending that everything's fine.  
  
Lately, his nightmares have gotten worse.  He doesn't really care.  
  
He's managing.  
  
Footsteps, suddenly, in the hall.  They don't sound like Hank's weirdly graceful padding, or Sean's quickstep stride.  Alex sits up, book slipping down to his lap, and the footsteps stop by the library door.  
  
The wind keeps howling and the door opens.  Alex is wound up tight, and then he freezes.  
  
"Alex?"   
  
"No."  Alex shakes his head.  "This isn't funny."  
  
"Alex.  Hotshot.  It's me."    
  
Alex shakes his head again.  "You're dead.  I saw you die.  I -- I _felt_  it."  
  
Darwin -- or a dead ringer, anyway -- flinches.  "I'm sorry.  I didn't mean to take so long to get back."  
  
"You _died._ "  
  
"And now I'm back."  Darwin takes a step toward him and fuck, if this isn't real, it feels like it.   
  
Alex steps forward, too, trying to figure out what's happening even as he can't breathe right.  The library is dark, except for a couple of lamps, and the wind is moaning and Alex needs to know for sure.  
  
They meet in the middle and Alex reaches up, his hand landing on Darwin's breastbone. He can feel Darwin's heartbeat, strong and sure.  
  
"You're back," Alex breathes.  
  
"Yep," Darwin says.    
  
"Christ," Alex says, softly.  "You okay?"  
  
Darwin laughs a little.  "Now I am," he says, smiling as he brings his own hand up to cover Alex's.  "What about you?"  
  
Alex isn't sure he's ever been 'okay,' and especially not since July.  But Darwin's here,  and that's close enough, so he nods.  "Yeah.  I'm fine."  
  
Darwin hugs him, then, more tentative than Alex remembers Darwin being at anything, so he falls into it; he needs this too, because even if his mind can't quite process Darwin being alive, his body knows, his body can feel the truth of the matter.  
  
"You're grabbier than I remember," Darwin murmurs, and reciprocates the hug's escalation in kind.  
  
“Do me a favor and shut up,” Alex says, no venom in it.  “You’ve been dead for months.”  
  
Darwin laughs a little.  “Sorry.”  
  
“Shush,” Alex says, pulling back a little.  “C’mere.”  He leads Darwin back to the couch and drops onto it, pulling Darwin down with him, over him.  “Just stay.”  
  
“Of course,” Darwin murmurs back, arms wrapping gentle around Alex’s waist.  “I’m not goin’ anywhere.”  
  
Outside, the show is falling, thick and soft and quiet, and Alex is quiet too.  Slowly, their heartbeats fall into sync, and Alex ducks his head into the crook of Darwin’s neck.  They don’t need to say anything.  
  
There is more than this, and they’ll have to talk about it all eventually, in the morning.  Nothing is fixed, not by a long shot.  But this is a beginning, and this is all they need for now — flesh and silence; that’s all.  
  
It’s all they’ve ever needed, really. 


End file.
